Police said plainclothes officers from a borough narcotics unit saw Orta stuff a silver, .25-caliber handgun into a 17-year-old female companion's waistband after they walked out of the Hotel Richmond. Police called the location, on Central Avenue, a "known drug prone location."

Police said Orta, who has been jailed since the arrest, had a previous weapon conviction that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. He remained in jail after pleading not guilty Friday.